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Sip Trips #61: Irish You Well

The week that was, was quite busy, so let’s get right down to the nitty gritty!

To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, the Sip Advisor met with some friends at Jimmy’s Taphouse. I’ve never really been into the green beer thing, but when in Rome, do as the drunkards do. Well, after only one jade beverage, Jimmy’s ran out of their green dye. Keep in mind, this “tragedy” occurred at only 6:30pm, leaving the Sip Advisor wondering why a) they hadn’t planned to have enough dye for even close to the majority of the night and b) why they couldn’t travel to the other end of the block, where there’s a Marketplace grocery store and pick up some more? The dye gaffe aside, Jimmy’s still possesses, in my opinion, one of the best poutine dishes in the city and it’s especially noteworthy when during happy hour, the price is cut in half!

I think we can all agree that St. Patrick’s Day is best spent enjoying beer or Irish whiskey and so why not keep the celebration going. That’s what Storm Brewing figured when they scheduled their latest Storm Social the day after the March 17 holiday, luring guests in with ice cream beer floats. Mrs. Sip and I both went with combining chocolate ice cream with one of their stouts, while Cousin Sip paired yet a third stout with London fog ice cream. We also stuck around to try most of the brewery’s ‘Brainstorms’ board and filled a couple growlers.

The good times just kept rolling all through the weekend, with Yaletown Brewery hosting one of their famous Caskival events. This time, Irish stouts and porters were on the menu, featuring entries from Whistler Brewhouse, Big Ridge, Moody Ales, R&B, Real Cask, Steamworks, Main Street, Dogwood, Persephone, Postmark, and of course Yaletown. A 12-beer punch card could be had for $20… an amazing deal, if you ask the Sip Advisor. I like the Caskivals that feature more variety in products available, but there were some good beers here, with my favourite being the Moody Ales/Ridge Brewing 1880 Export Stout collaborative effort.

After a brief respite back at home, the Sip Advisor was out and about again, joining friends at Library Square Public House for the Vancouver Whitecaps game. I had never been to this Donnelly Group location and it had been some time since I’d checked out any of their collection of restaurants and bars. That will change, though, as I was quite impressed with the line-up of craft beers on their menu. It wasn’t a massive menu, but there was good variety and what was there was top notch stuff. I also had my first Hand Grenade shot experience here. You place two shot glasses (each filled with a different alcohol) at the top of a larger glass filled with a little energy drink. Then, you remove one of the shot glasses (ie. pulling the pin on the grenade) and allowing the other shot glass to drop into the beverage below. Then, you shoot the entire concoction. I thought it was all very creative and wondered how it had taken this long to come onto my radar.

With the Easter weekend upon us, things really ramp up and we return to Portland to attend the city’s Spring Beer and Wine Fest for the third year in a row. I can’t wait to report back to all you little sippers about this year’s mayhem. Safe travels and sip well, my friends!